Jamie Matusow, Editor03.11.13
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L’Oréal Paris Colour Caresse Shine Stain features on-trend see-through packaging so consumers can see colors clearly. |
Ever since ancient times, when Cleopatra colored her lips using a blend of crushed insects and carmine in a base of beeswax, women have been drawn to accentuate their mouths as a prominent facial feature. While the practice went in and out of fashion for centuries due to wavering social acceptance, sexy movie stars including Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor helped to establish lip makeup as a beauty essential. By then, Hollywood makeup artist Max Factor had introduced lipgloss, and women had two distinct looks to choose from. Today, multitaskers that we are, women want versatility, such as anti-aging and moisturizing benefits, from their lip products—so hybrids are hot. And clear is cool! With less time to shop, consumers are favoring transparency in their packaging—they want to see color choices at a glance.
In keeping with the demand to accentuate lips, brands and packaging suppliers continue to forge new packages for one of makeup’s most popular categories. From dual-function designs to portable pens and pencils, pots that pop into a purse to glamorous sticks that double as fashion accessories—and even a new airless component—the choices are nearly endless.
Twists of an Up and Down Market
Despite the popularity of lip makeup, the challenging economy has caused the market to experience some ups and downs over the past few years, but the faltering seems to have now reversed and the future looks bright.
And similar to the case with other cosmetic categories of late, prestige seems to be trumping mass-market sales, with consumers indulging in a little lip luxury.
June Jensen, director for NPD Group Beauty UK, says the prestige makeup category, including lipstick, has increased in sales. “Continuing to buy prestige beauty products that provide a little bit of luxury is a trend we’ve seen throughout the current challenging economy.”
Jensen reports that the total beauty market grew 5% in annual sales in 2012 versus 2011—but makeup sales grew more than twice as fast at 11%. Lip makeup grew by 9% year over year.
And things continue to look up. Mintel’s report issued in July 2012 showed that “the post-recessionary sales slump for lip makeup has reversed with healthy growth in 2011 and 2010”—and that sales are expected to increase 37% between 2012 and 2017. Products with sheer tint and added functionality are helping to win customers.
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Seacliff’s dual lip stain for Addiction NV Cosmetics; one sidefeatures a lipgloss and the other, a long-lasting lip stain. |
A July 2012 study by Mintel on the color cosmetics market determined that lipstick and lipgloss are equally likely to be worn by a full 71% of respondents, with younger respondents more likely than their older counterparts to wear lipgloss, tinted lip balm and lip stain.
Research from Euromonitor International puts lipstick in the lead, finding that lipstick sales in the U.S. continue to gain over other products in the category, including lipgloss, lip liners/pencils and other lip products.
On the supplier side, Walter Dwyer of Cosmopak says he has seen a slow trend back to lipstick bullets over glosses. He also has observed a change in color choices: “Pigment colors are prevalent in prestige and some mass, taking over from neutrals, and should be very bold in summer 2013.”
Formulations Demand Functionality
Whatever form lip makeup takes, consumers are demanding more—more from the formulations as well as from the packaging.
Vera Sandarova, of Kline Group, tells Beauty Packaging, “Consumers are increasingly seeking products with benefits. Newer products that offer anti-aging and other benefits see an increase in sales. Lip balm products are less expensive than cosmetics or cosmeceuticals designed to improve the appearance of the lips.”
SymphonyIRI’s principal of strategic insights, Victoria Gustafson, agrees: “Just like with other cosmetics, multi-benefit products are the ones that are growing the most. Products that have benefits in addition to just providing color—such as long-wearing, moisturizing, plumping—are on trend.”
It’s a trend that suppliers have been challenged to keep up with technology-wise, with both bulk and packaging, including application tools.
“Innovation is key,” says April Vignone, president of product & packaging development, Verla International. “With packaging, visual filling concepts, and formula performance, today’s woman expects more from her lip products. As science and technology pave the way to more intense color, long wear, high shine, moisturize and condition, repair and preventive actives to keep our lips looking and feeling healthier, packaging delivery systems take formula technology and customer expectations to the next level. From lip wands with disappearing, rolling, and massaging applicators to heat seal tubes with a variety of specialized cooling, gel, rollerball and metal tips, application is all the rage.”
Sandra Hutson, sales and marketing director, Topline Products, expresses a similar sentiment. “From a formulation standpoint ‘lip hybrids’ are one of the hottest trends sweeping the lip category—for example lipgloss stains, lip color balms. This consumer benefit driven trend illustrates how technology has improved over the years. Now you can have a lip stain product with a gloss finish in one step or a lipstick that offers all of the comfort benefits of a lip balm, etc.”
At SeaCliff Beauty Packaging & Laboratories, Vonda Simon, founder and president, says, “We have seen a trend toward more moisturizing and longer wear lipgloss and lipsticks. Plumpers are also in with long-term benefits of plumpness due to new active ingredients being introduced.”
Hybrid products are also on trend at Albéa, where Carole Grassi, category manager-makeup, says, “Today we have complex formulations with active ingredients and less structural rigidity.This is in response to consumer demand for long-lasting, moisturizing lipsticks that have a great color shine.”
Packaging That Plumps Sales
It’s critical that the packaging functions seamlessly in order to protect and deliver today’s complex formulations. And it must look good as well.
“Personal care packaging is at the intersection of art and commerce,” says Grassi. “The successful color cosmetics brands develop products that become essential to the woman’s lifestyle and deliver on form and function. So they must protect today’s hybrid formulations—which the consumer clamors for—and yet allow the woman to look and feel glamorous, with every usage, every day. It has to look and feel ‘right’ because the lipstick is an essential lifestyle accessory. Therefore, metallization, laser-etching, metal etching and more add to the appeal of the product.”
Non-traditional Sticks
From classic cylinders to small pots, which type of package do women prefer?
“The stick is still the most prevalent packaging in lip makeup,” according to SymphonyIRI’s Gustafson. However, even here, there are many choices. Gustafson notes that manufacturers are putting a modern twist on traditional sticks. “Modern sticks are more structured, more colorful and are playing a big role in setting the mood rather than just containing the product.”
Susanne Nichols, CEO, International Cosmetic Suppliers Ltd (ICS), says her company is seeing new innovation on the classic stick design in many shapes and styles for both mass market and masstige brands. Nichols says that as filling the crown in the base of this lipstick style is the traditional method to color match the base to the formulation, it can add to costs by increasing labor and formulation expenses.
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The bi-injection design of ICS’s crystal base lipstick can be color matched to the lipstick shade so brands do not need to fill the base with formulation. |
The crystal base can show the lipstick color, which adds to its appeal as an efficient and attractive package. The bi-injection design of the crystal base can be color matched to the lipstick shade so brands do not need to fill the base with formulation.
“This makes it unique,” according to Nichols, as no extra filling process is needed. And “the color matched crystal base and the aluminum A-shell with PETG cover provide a premium look and feel to the cost-efficient design.”
OEKAbeauty’s new alternative stick bottle combines many of today’s trends: It adds color to the black shape in a meaningful way—by immediately letting consumers know that the product is for lips—and also makes it clear as to what colors are available. OEKAbeauty teamed with Inotech to design the new two-component injection blow molded bottle, according to Mike Warford, national sales manager, ABA Packaging, and the team from OEKAbeauty. (OEKAbeauty is exclusively represented in North America by ABA Packaging Corp.)
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This 2C injection bottle from OEKAbeauty provides a unique lip-shaped window through which the color of the content can be seen, while at the same time, the larger part of the content stays UV protected. |
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Albéa’s non-circular R shape design features a guided mechanism in a choice of two tubes. |
“Both are ergonomically pleasing solutions that support the bullet and provide protection for the life of the product,” says Grasso.The new mechanisms come in two new airtight packs, compatible with volatile formulas such as those based on isododecane or silicone.
Airtight designs are gaining in popularity, according to Grassi, because they prevent the product from drying, or becoming too moist.
Seacliff’s Simon says her company is also working on many different airtight containers for lipsticks as well as other cosmetics and skin care.
Airless Innovation Arrives
ABA’s Warford and the team from OEKAbeauty say they’ve seen a move toward more lipglosses, rather than lipsticks, over the last few years—though they acknowledge, “Of course lipstick is a classic ‘must have’ at the point of sale.” However, they say there has not been a lot of newness in the category. According to the team, “The innovations found in the market during the last few years were more focused on the decoration and closure of the packaging, and not on application of the product on the lips.”
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OEKAbeauty teamed up with French company Cinqpats on an innovative airless package. |
According to OEKA, Rouge Passion is especially suitable for the use of new formulas with natural preservatives. And following the see-through trend in lip makeup packaging, the shade of the product is visible in the band at the midpoint of the tube.
What’s more, the folks at OEKA say Rouge Passion is also ideal for under eye treatment and/or skin treatment.
Custom Caps/Closures
At Jansy Packaging, demand for lipgloss continues to shine. Ray Lewis, account executive for the company, tells Beauty Packaging, “I have been noticing a continued trend with lipglosses with all natural ingredients and solid type hot pour lip products.”
Often it’s the cap or closure that makes the product unique. Lewis says, “We have been working on developing custom closures with our customers to bring a stock lipgloss package to life. Customers continue to be innovative with putting a spin on stock items for brand identity. This gives them speed to market with minimal tooling costs to achieve their desired design.”
Seacliff, too, is utilizing custom caps and unique designs to differentiate products. “Customers want the brand to pop on the shelf,” says Simon, “so we are doing many custom caps with very unique designs.”
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ICS designed a mini domed pot, ideal for lip balms. |
While classic lip balm packs are another current trend, brands are looking for innovative packaging to differentiate their product on shelf.
ICS has designed a mini domed pot which is a packaging option not only for lip balms, but also for other formulations such as sun care, face and cheek products,” says Nichols.
It is back filled via hot pour into a domed PP liner built into the cap, which Nichols says provides a unique domed product. She says the cap, base and godet/vessel are PP, which offers good compatibility with a variety of formulations. It can be molded in custom colors and can also be metallized for a more premium look. The unique ball shape makes the pack stand out among other options.
Tubes Heat Up
Heat seal tubes are also on the rise for lip products, according to Verla’s Vignone, whether filling exciting designs in a single tube or the latest tube-within-a-tube. She says that the tube-within-a-tube package offers the flexibility to deliver multiple benefits and unique visual aesthetics. “By dispensing two separate formulas for dual benefits, the ultimate multi-tasking lip color and treatment is created.”
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Verla’s tube-within-a-tube package offers theflexibility to deliver multiple benefits and unique visual aesthetics. |
ICS offers an innovative duo tube in a 19mm diameter, which is a multifunction pack and, according to Nichols, is great for not only lips, but also sunscreen, concealer and foundation. The tube has a traditional slant head applicator for lipgloss and a unique duo cap which houses a space for a second formulation such as lip balm.
Lip Pens and Crayons
Click pens, crayons and pencils with brushes have added new play to lip coloring.
Cosmopak’s Dwyer says, “We still have a very strong business in click pens for gloss,” adding, “we also sell a lot of tubes with brushes on the end in the mass market as they offer a good alternative to pens and are better priced.”
At 3C, Inc., company president Lou Della Pesca tells Beauty Packaging that they recently introduced a new slimline automatic lip pen with a propel/repel click dispenser base.
Chunky crayons such as the Pur All That Pops lip crayon, from Topline Products, are also convenient and easy to use, with no sharpening required. “They are popular for both mass and department store brands,” says Topline’s Hutson.
Unique Applicators
Outside of the traditional bullet form—or pencils—an applicator is often required to accurately and effectively swab on product.
At Jansy Packaging, Lewis notes, “Packaging has been trending back to the traditional wand style lipgloss packaging with flocked doe foot applicators and custom designed pots for solid lip products. Clear tubes were the preferred pack for a while but are trending back to the wand applicator packages.” He says flock tip applicators in various designs and styles have been popular of late.
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A new lip applicator, sensualLIPS, is Geka’s latest development when it comes to shapes. |
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3C, Inc recently introduced a new slimline automatic lip pen with a propel/repel click dispenser base. |
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Topline added a beveled silicone tip with gentle exfoliating bristles to its Noxi Doxi treatment package. |
Decorative Effects
As with many products in beauty, decorative techniques are frequently being utilized to add pizzazz and attract attention—or to make the most of a stock component.
Della Pesca says, “We are receiving more requests for lipstick containers in color for both the prestige and mass market. Color is also being requested more in the decoration.”
At ICS, “The use of gradient finishes is another trend we are seeing in packaging decoration,” notes Nichols. “This can be done with gradient spray with or without metallization and offers an eye-catching new look to packaging.”
OEKAbeauty offers a new vertical gradient lacquering capability, which was used on Rimmel London’s Show Off lip lacquer package. OEKA says the vertical window effect is especially well-suited to PET lipgloss cases.
Premiumization/Metallization
In a booming prestige market, lip makeup has to look the part of a luxurious fashion accessory.
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Pack premiumization takes on 1950s style in Albéa’s package for Lancôme’s French Touch Absolu. |
In addition, pack premiumization continues to impact the world of color cosmetics packaging—worldwide. Grassi says all-metal engraved lipsticks communicate spectacularly with the upscale consumer, and cites Albéa’s package for Lancôme’s French Touch Absolu, as an example. “Here is a dynamic reinterpretation of an all-time classic from the 1950s,” she says.
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The Burberry lipstick package,produced by Topline, featuresthe brand’s iconic tartan motif induo-tone screen printing. |
The Burberry charged ABS lipstick package, also produced by Topline, features straight lines, accentuated with gunmetal color metallization and Burberry’s iconic tartan motif in duo-tone screen printing. The printing, finished with tone on tone inks in relief, provides a rich, tactile experience for the end-user and a very discrete, elegant visual effect.
“We used several challenging manufacturing and decoration techniques such as a self aligning magnetic closure, textured silk screening for the tartan design and metallization on charged ABS,” explains Hutson. “Also, specific magnet shapes had to be developed to create the perfect closure.”
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Arcade Marketing’s LipSeal technology makes it easy for consumers to feel comfortable with purchasing two complementary colors. |
No matter how attractive or unique the packaging, the secret to consumer success is how the product itself will appear on the lips. This is where cosmetic sampling can play a critical role.
With the trend toward layering lipsticks or combining lipsticks with gloss to achieve texturized or other effects, it can be difficult for consumers to envision what the results will be, and may impede a sale of complementary products.
To counter this possibility, Arcade Marketing has developed a solution called LipSeal technology. Diane Crecca, Arcade’s senior vice president sales, marketing & business, explains, “Many brands are launching or ‘pairing’ lipglosses in shades to match their lipsticks—encouraging consumers to wear one over the other. Hot pink, bright red, and fiery orange are the hot new colors and product samples allow not-so-daring consumers to feel comfortable with the ‘pop’ of color before actually making the commitment to a retail purchase.”
Spring Is on Our Lips
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